Novak Djokovic often has opinionated views that contrast with what the public views as healthy. For example, his anti-vaccine stance created an uproar across the world and he was subsequently deported from Australia ahead of the country’s grand slam and barred from other tournaments too.
In a new interview, the Serb shared his thoughts on his close rivals Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal and added insight into his relationship with the two players, saying he viewed them only as rivals and nothing else.
Novak Djokovic talks about relationship with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal
The Big 3 have faced each other numerous times over the years in battles that have displayed high-quality tennis and provided entertainment galore to fans. The question on fans’ minds was how the three players got along off the court. Novak Djokovic provided the answer to that riddle in a candid conversation with Tennis Channel’s Jon Wertheim on Sunday.
“Personally, I would like to. I mean, I know that obviously (laughs) we didn’t get along so well throughout our careers in, like, off court. And we are not friends because, you know, we’re rivals and it’s difficult as competitors to be very close and kind of share and give insights to you know, to your life or to how you feel because, you know, it could be used against you,” said Djokovic when asked by Jon about his relationship with Federer and Nadal.
“The greatest respect is always there, at least from my side. I would like to. I would like to,” said Djokovic about a friendly future with Roger and Rafa.
Battles of the Big 3 have produced nerve-wracking moments and extreme physical exhaustion in tandem over the years and the three have singlehandedly become a constant presence in the debate over who the GOAT of tennis is.
Djokovic, Federer, Nadal rivalry
To showcase how Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, commonly known by the collective moniker ‘Big 3’, dominated tennis for over two decades, we shall look at their statistical supremacy.
They share a total of 66 grand slam titles within themselves (Djokovic -24, Nadal -22, Federer -20), have been ranked as world no. 1 for a total of 921 weeks( equivalent to 17.5 years ), either one of the three finished the year-end as world no. 1 from 2004 to 2023( except 2016 and 2022), collectively topped the ATP rankings as the top three players for 8 years, have won 103 ATP major titles together and have total prize money of US$ 446 million.
Novak Djokovic leads Nadal 30-29, Nadal leads the Swiss 16-24 and Djokovic leads Federer 27-23 in their respective head-to-head meetings.
One of their most epic matches came at the 2019 Wimbledon final, when Novak Djokovic beat Roger Federer 7–6 (7-5), 1–6, 7–6 (7-4), 4–6, 13–12 (7-3) in just under five hours.
The Serb faced an even longer match at the 2012 Australian Open final when he beat Nadal 5–7, 6–4, 6–2, 6–7 (5-7), 7–5.
The early to late 2010s were the heydays of the Big 3’s rivalry and viewers would throng to the stadium or stay glued to the television to watch their matches.
What are your opinions on Novak Djokovic’s comments on his relationship with Federer and Nadal? Let us know in the comments section below.
